9.10.09

What a day it really is... It all started with my ATM money being debited and so I cannot get the supposed-to-be Php 4000 for my writers and for my salary.

Upon being early at Robinson's Place Lipa today at around past 9 am, after accompanying my mother to the supermarket, I rushed to the ATM to get my money, but unfortunately, as I tried to inquire my balance, there came a Transaction Cannot be Processed sign flashed. I was not contented and so I tried to withdraw. Again, the message flashed. From that, I stopped transacting and got my card out.

I tried to withdraw from the other ATM machines at the mall and became unsuccessful in the transactions. From there, I soon had the chance to withdraw Php 1000 from the BDO ATM but was shocked to learn that I only had Php 360+ left in my ATM.

In awe with what I discovered, I hurried to my brother and mother to tell the news. They advised me to try again and so I did. But still, the balance remained as is. Later on, we decided to inquire from my bank itself (Unionbank). From there, we have learned that there might have been a possibility that my account had been debited due to their offline system a while ago. So that explains it, I thought. I just hoped that I wasn't hit by a modus operandi or so.

Well, Php 4000 is 4000, so I just wish that it wouldn't vanish just like that. I just learned a lesson from that incident: that it is better not to get too excited when withdrawing. It is also better to be sure of your balance (whether you can really transact or not), before you can actually withdraw.

18.9.09

Back to the Old SM Days Shoe Mart (SM) will always be SM. As I can vividly remember, whenever we would be going out of town, especially to Manila, the trip will never be complete without a shopping experience at SM. True enough, during those days, I was not that aware of how commodities are being bought. All that mattered to me was that I wanted some new toys and that I am willing to scream at the top of my lungs to let my parents buy me my most sought-after goodies. And so SM just seemed like a paradise to me then. All sorts of dolls, books, clothes, shoes, and more items came springing up as I grew up. Later on, I even managed to buy my own. But SM will always be SM (that stuck on my head).

The Haven for Shoppers and Fans Now that we even have our own SM mall in our city, the “haven of shoppers” came closer and we, shoppers, can readily avail of the latest finds there are around. But then, it did not stop there. SM ventured into greater heights as they catered to mall tours, festivities, crafts, and other community-centered events.

I was thrilled to join some of them, that to include watching my favorite artists perform live (specifically Toni Gonzaga – whom I even got an autograph from)! I was really star-struck then. Even my little brother, who is a huge fan of Toni had to talk to our parents just to see her. Well, that was one of the first mall shows I have watched, so at that time, I really cannot believe that I was there.

Getting to talk to her, telling her how we are really fond of her singing and acting talent made my day – thus, I kept her autograph in my diary and am hoping that in the years to come, I would still be reminiscing that day when I proved how I am as a fan.

Basically Simple Pleasures Awesome experiences do not necessarily mean availing the most expensive items on board. Thus, as my family just wants to save on our expenses as much as we want to find the best quality possible, we definitely discover that SM does have these features for us to go there. Offering a variety of goods and services readily affordable by people of our class, we certainly recommend taking a look at what SM has to provide in terms of various delectable choices. From food items, books, clothes, home devices, and a whole lot more, you will just end up discovering the simplest pleasure there is for you. And as for me, a good “read” will do!

** This is an entry to SM City Lipa and WOW Batangas’s blogging contest, adhering to the theme “Your Awesome SM Experience.”For more details, please visit: http://www.wowbatangas.com/

2.7.09

Alright, so how has been the Coeline-a-holic thing going on lately? I admit, it has been a while since I last saw the blogging world, and I am so missing the whole personal online publication thing.,.

All these months, I've been into freelance writing/content writing/sales writing to try to express my craft into different leagues. It all started this May, so ever since, I hardly had time to do some online journals as well as memoirs (of a potato lover).

If you wanna learn more about my retreat from the diary-type writing for some time, try to have a feel of applying into some craigslist ads and offering your services to those who are in dire need of them. Yupp, I've been applying to www.manila.craigslist.com for some time now. And with the clients I've been getting, it was quite an experience already -- learning about the trade and the craft involved with these stuffs. Through experimenting and having first-time experiences, I also learned that the Internet do have some great people to work with professionally. It is not just a hub of scammers and the like, hence, I have met virtually nice people who knows how to treat people fairly.

23.5.09

It’s been a different week by far. It seems pretty cool too, since I’ve gotten into what I call now as a “either I stay or go” stint. The life of an ordinary potato girl has yet to go anew.

The dream of a greener pasture still lives on. But as I come to think of the consequences I would have to face if ever I would be granted the chance to fulfill my dream, I just feel uncertain.

Okay, for those of you who do not know what I’m talking about here, well, in a few days I am about to find out the verdict: whether or not I’ll be leaving the Philippines for a while to work somewhere else – where a lion stands abound, and where chewing gum is forbidden. Yes, this is Singapore.

To Singapore, where the hardworking are blessed – this is where I will be bound for if ever God wills me to. This is where I suppose I will be staying over a period of time to enhance my independence, my capabilities, and my strengths and weaknesses as a person.

Alas, when that time comes that I will be required to face challenges that a normal adult usually faces, I think that this would also be the moment when I’d be ready to proclaim without hesitation that I am truly free. All this time, when my environment has always been a friendly one, where I don’t usually stand amidst a fierce crowd, I just am laid back, knowing that I always have my parents and family beside me. But this time, if ever God grants me the chance, then I’d better be ready.

This time, I should be brave enough to survive the tough life out there. I have to learn how it is to wash my laundry without being piled up with more than what I could handle. I must also learn how to iron my clothes so as to dress according to the nature of my supposed work. In there, I must learn how to travel by myself, without fears that I won’t end up at the wrong streets. In Singapore, I must realize that all I shall earn are products of hard labor and determination.

And just like it is in life, I know that even if I do not make it there, I must really strive hard to reach my destination. No matter what it takes, and no matter what happens, I shall soon fulfill my dreams.

Yet, in our own journeys, let us not forget that there are times when we just have to bear with the consequences that are packed along our choices. As we decide, let us also try to consider that there will definitely be pros and cons. Whatever these results might be, we just have to weigh them carefully. They may turn out small, but at a later time, they may end up so large that we won’t be able to handle them anymore. Hence, along our decision-making, hopefully, we will be able to stand up, beaming, that no matter what would happen, we are ready to accept anything life has to yet to bring.

20.5.09

Upon subscribing to Bo Sanchez's blog, I came into a recent inspirational. One part, about godliness and giftedness really struck me. Imagine, if we just apply the concepts here, what a wonderful world it would be! As human beings, of course, we fall into temptations, but nevertheless, we can beat these temptations. That's for sure... It can be tough, however, as we grow in faith, we definitely can...

Giftedness is the ability to turn thought into things;

Godliness is the ability to use that giftedness to serve.

Giftedness is being like God in his skills;

Godliness is being like God in his service.

Giftedness is being like God in his power;

Godliness is being like God in his love.

Giftedness is charisma; Godliness is character.

You can be successful with giftedness alone, but success will be short-lived and isolated in one or two areas of your life. For real success that spans your whole life, you need giftedness and godliness.

16.5.09

Take a hold of the coolest products that the Little Bunny Shops (an online shopping site) has to offer. Select from their skin and body products, bags, frostings, apparels, and crafts.

Skin and Body Products

Be delighted by natural and organic skin and body care products to soothe your fancies. Be kind to your precious skin! Nourish it with nature's wonders and be awed with the results.

Bags

Bangle up your apparel with trendy bags of various chic, classy, cuddly, and more designs to suit your taste. Give yourself a reward for a month's hard work by jazzing your getup the way you'd want to. The Litte Bunny Shops provide you with a variety of designs to choose from.

FrostingsSpritz up your outfit and at the same time, be on time during your most important appointments with these intricate time pieces. They are also perfect for presents to the most important people in your life.

Apparels

Want to be in the zone? Or perhaps you are looking for a hipper style when it comes to dressing up? Not to worry, for The Little Bunny Shops also offers an online boutique filled with the coolest and most unique trend lines up to date.

In the last few months, the importation of books into the Philippines has virtually stopped. (To those of you who frequent bookstores, I don't know if you've noticed.) The reason why is explained in this article by Robin Hemley, a University of Iowa creative writing professor currently on a fellowship in the Philippines.

If you have no time to read the article, the essence is that because the Bureau of Customs has decided to impose duties on the importation of books into the Philippines.

This, despite the 1950 Florence Agreement on the Importation of Educational, Scientific and Cultural Materials (which you can see here), which the Philippines ratified in 1979. The preamble of the agreement states: "Considering that the free exchange of ideas and knowledge and, in general, the widest possible dissemination of the diverse forms of self-expression used by civilizations are vitally important both for intellectual progress and international understanding, and consequently for the maintenance of world peace...", an indisputable proposition.

Here's an excerpt from Robin Hemley's article (i shortened it a bit. better if you can read the whole thing.) -

...Over coffee one afternoon, a book-industry professional (whom I can'tidentify) told me that for the past two months virtually no imported books had entered the country, in part because of the success of one book, Twilight by Stephenie Meyer. The book, an international best seller, had apparently attracted the attention of customs officials. When an examiner named Rene Agulan opened a shipment of books, he demanded that duty be paid on it.

The importer of Twilight made a mistake and paid the duty requested. A mistake because such duty flies in the face of the Florence Agreement, a U.N. treaty that was signed by the Philippines in 1952, guaranteeing the free flow of "educational, scientific, and cultural materials" between countries and declaring that imported books should be duty-free. Mr. Agulan told the importer that because the books were not educational( i.e., textbooks) they were subject to duty. Perhaps they aren't educational, I might have argued, but aren't they "cultural"?No matter. With this one success under their belt, customs curtailed all air shipments of books entering the country. Weeks went by as booksellers tried to get their books out of storage and started intense negotiations with various government officials.

What doubly frustrated booksellers and importers was that the explanations they received from various officials made no sense. It was clear that, for whatever reason"perhaps the 30-billion-peso ($625 million) shortfall in projected customs revenue"customs would go through the motions of having a reasonable argument while in fact having none at all.

Customs Undersecretary Espele Sales explained the government's position to a group of frustrated booksellers and importers in an Orwellian PowerPoint presentation, at which she reinterpreted the Florence Agreement as well as Philippine law RA 8047, providing for "the tax and duty-free importation of books or raw materials to be used in book publishing." For lack of a comma after the word "books," the undersecretary argued that only books "used in book publishing" (her underlining) were tax-exempt.

"What kind of book is that?" one publisher asked me afterward. "A book used in book publishing." And she laughed ruefully.

I thought about it. Maybe I should start writing a few. Harry the Cultural and Educational Potter and His Fondness for Baskerville Type.

Likewise, with the Florence Agreement, she argued that only educational books could be considered protected by the U.N. treaty. Customs would henceforth be the arbiter of what was and wasn't educational.

"For 50 years, everyone has misinterpreted the treaty and now you alone have interpreted it correctly?" she was asked.

"Yes," she told the stunned booksellers.

Throughout February and March, bookstores seemed on the verge of getting their books releasedâ€"all their documents were in order, but the rules kept changing. Now they were told that all books would be taxed: 1 percent for educational books and 5 percent for noneducational books. A nightmare scenario for the distributors; they imagined each shipment being held for months as an examiner sorted through the books. Obviously, most would simply pay the higher tax to avoid the hassle.

Distributors told me they weren't "capitulating" but merely paying under protest. After all, customs was violating an international treaty that had been abided by for over 50 years. Meanwhile, booksellers had to pay enormous storage fees. Those couldn't be waived, they were told, because the storage facilities were privately owned (by customs officials, a bookstore owner suggested ruefully). One bookstore had to pay $4,000 on a $10,000 shipment.

The day after the first shipment of books was released, an internal memo circulated in customs congratulating themselves for finally levying a duty on books, though no mention was made of their pride in breaking an international treaty...

Please forward this or disseminate this in any way you can. In the name ofreading.

*** As a bookworm, I feel like this has its pros and cons. First, as with the pro: The Filipino book-world will probably shine, since its international competitors will be lessened. However, this will still be depending on what the Filipino writers have to offer. Content still counts. And yes, lots out there (uhmm, out here too!) are just writing brilliant works, but still are not published authors.

For the cons: Well, diversity and balance in the Philippine book-o-sphere will be lessened. I mean, whoever gets to imagine bookstores without the latest celebrated books all over the world?... Hmmm...

1.5.09

Remember those walls I builtWell baby they're tumbling downAnd they didn't even put up a fightThey didn't even make a soundI found a way to let you inBut I never really had a doubtStanding in the light of your haloI got my angel now

It's like I've been awakenedEvery rule I had you breakin'It's the risk that I'm takin'I ain't never gonna shut you out

Everywhere I'm looking nowI'm surrounded by your embraceBaby I can see your haloYou know you're my saving graceYou're everything I need and moreIt's written all over your faceBaby I can feel your haloPray it won't fade away

Hit me like a ray of sunBurning through my darkest nightYou're the only one that I wantThink I'm addicted to your lightI swore I'd never fall againBut this don't even feel like fallingGravity can't forgetTo pull me back to the ground again

Feels like I've been awakenedEvery rule I had you breakin'The risk that I'm takin'I'm never gonna shut you out

Everywhere I'm looking nowI'm surrounded by your embraceBaby I can see your haloYou know you're my saving graceYou're everything I need and moreIt's written all over your faceBaby I can feel your haloPray it won't fade away

Everywhere I'm looking nowI'm surrounded by your embraceBaby I can see your haloYou know you're my saving graceYou're everything I need and moreIt's written all over your faceBaby I can feel your haloPray it won't fade away

30.4.09

This book by Malcolm Gladwell tells about the story of success, as further explained through various success stories, the principles behind them, as well as various researches behind notions about being successful.

Through this book, I have realized various truths. In fact, as I try to reflect upon my own life, I've noticed the patterns that the world indeed offers to those who build a strong foundation for them to be successful.

Every mother may have her own share of promoting goodness in her particular community or family, but with that term 'every,' only ONE particular mom is the BEST for her family. We might be different in terms of struggles and victories. We may differ in the values our parents promulgate. But along these differences still lies a remarkable fact: that our mothers definitely are jewels -- precious enough to be coined priceless.

My mother is presently a housewife/businesswoman. As she has spent most of her family life taking care of us (four children and our father) and at the same time, finding other ways to help my father earn a living, she makes sure that we'd still be living well: though not that financially up, but still, able to cope with life's turnings.

At the peak of the economic crisis starting at about the late 1990s, we definitely experienced the turn of the tides. Our family had to find alternative means as to how to recover from my father's unexpected job loss from Philippine Air Lines then. Being in Grade 3, I enthusiastically tried to help by selling various merchandise to my classmates (stationeries, stickers, pastries, you name it!). My mother encouraged us to use our creativity, as she also helps in the daily expenses through our then ongoing cooking business catering to the young pilots here in FAB.

Even after we stopped cooking for the pilots and even if the economic turmoil rose, she never ceased to develop more strategies just to mold our family's values. Along with our growth as individuals, she, along with us, grew spiritually. During these times of distress, she didn't lose hope. Day by day, she would remind us (as well live out her words) that God sees each one's hearts. Even though we may be down at one point, through hard work, together with many other values, we will soon reach our goals. As long as we stick together as a family, we will definitely make it, I recall her telling us everytime.

No matter what our situation is, what I really admire about my mother is her compassion for the needy. In her simple ways, she never forgets that there are more people who are poorer than us. Thus, whenever we have more than enough of our food, she likes it when we share some to the soldiers guarding the FAB entrance. She would also feel compassion to the beggars along the city -- as though they were also her children. In her, I find the inspiration to fight life's battles.

Another 'heroic' plight I encountered in her deeds would be regarding her compassion to the poor in spirit. For along the friendships we have made with various people (for you see, our home has always been a hub of friends -- we are always open to friends who would want to visit, just have a chat, etc.), and in those friendships, whenever they would be facing problems (of all sorts), one person they would usually run to is my mother. In fact, these people, as they most likely have discovered a mother in her too, even call her "Mama Dot" (my mother's nickname).

To them, Mama Dot is a refuge for the ill-hearted. They gather strength each time they share their sentiments with her. She serves as their counselor, second mom, foster mom, friend, sister, whatever the need calls her to be. Definitely, Mama is a mama to whoever dires one.

Indeed, my mother, Mama Dot, is a treasure to us. She is rare! So, to whoever who would ask, "Why is a mother (based on your own mom) considered a gem," I'll answer right away, "Because she is all that God means as His gift to man."

29.4.09

Welcome to my new blog. Actually, this is the second blog that I'd be active in updating. So as of now, as for the content, basically, what I am planning to include in here is regarding my featured books, music, movies, and more...

Now, if you're wondering 'Why Coeline??' Well, since Celine is my name, just about 2 years ago, I've been thinking of an internet handle that I'd be using for about forever, maybe. And so, when I pondered, thinking what unique name might not that used in the WWW, I decided to add an 'o' to celine, making it coeline (pronounced as che-lin). I also happen to know someone whose name is Coeli, so, I kinda adopted the name. :)Well, if you'd want to get updated, just subscribe to the RSS Feed, bookmark my page, or feel free to email me.